But recall when Eastside (or is it East Side I now?) was but a vision. I am still waiting for the Krispy Kreme that was supposed to go in with the Whole Foods. That was just such a perfect Pittsburgh pairing... before the cupcake craze no less. Not to be of course, the anticipated chain of Krispy Kremes in town appeared to melt away. All of which is tied to more recent news of late. What was on the site of Eastside I and II before they were built? The central motor pool of that which is Yellow Cab in Pittsburgh.

But I am really fascinated by the new moniker. What was one word for the longest time, Eastside, I take is now East Side. Semantics.. semantics. I wonder why the naming consultant thought that was necessary?

There is more going on of note in East Liberty these days. The long off then on, then off, then on Hotel Indigo (first mentioned here in 2007) is showing signs of life with a whole new floor apparently being built on top of the Consad Building. But what is up with the uber earned media Ace Hotel that was to go in next to the library? 2015 is the buzz... and it may still beat the opening of Hotel Indigo for all I can tell.

Back in the days of Phase I, Shadyside had great branding, East Liberty not-so-much. But now East Liberty has taken off and I believe it has become a positive brand, outside of a few stuck-in-amber sorts who aren't coming anywhere near that area anyway.

So one hypothesis is that "Eastside" was more Shadyside-sounding, and "East Side" is more East Liberty-sounding, or at least more neutral.

Oh, and Ace has far fewer hotels, and a more cutting-edge branding, than Indigo. So in certain circles it has been a very big deal that Ace selected Pittsburgh, more so than Indigo or Monaco (a boutique hotel going into Downtown). You can pick up a bit of that here:

The Ace was held up for a long time by financing tied to historic tax credits. That was finally resolved within the last month or so, and now the windows are all gone. Barring another financial sector collapse, 2015 is entirely realistic.